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Who Should I Start for Week 3? Fantasy Football outlooks for Emmett Johnson, Keenan Allen, Carnell Tate, Malik Nabers, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Tetairoa McMillan, Michael Pittman Jr., Joshua Palmer.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 3 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Emmett Johnson, Keenan Allen, Carnell Tate, Malik Nabers, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Tetairoa McMillan, Michael Pittman Jr., and Joshua Palmer. However, don't worry, we are here to help you make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 3. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
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Week 3 Fantasy Football Outlooks
Below are some fantasy football outlooks written by our NFL team here at RotoBaller, bringing you their fantasy football analysis and advice on which players to consider starting in Week 3:
Malik Nabers, New York Giants
New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (shoulder) was officially listed as limited in Wednesday's practice, according to Connor Hughes of SNY. On top of star quarterback Jaxson Dart needing season-ending knee injury, the Giants are dealing with an injury to their top wideout. Nabers injured his right shoulder early in the Monday night loss to the Los Angeles Rams, but he was able to return to the game.
The 23-year-old only caught one of his four targets for one yard, though, and he could be up in the air to play in the Week 3 contest against the visiting Tennessee Titans on Sunday. For the rest of the season, even if Nabers stays healthy, his fantasy ceiling has taken a big hit with Dart expected to miss the rest of the year.
In the Week 1 win over the Dallas Cowboys, Nabers caught six of nine targets for 69 yards and looked good in his first game back from an ACL tear early in 2025. If Nabers is limited at all this weekend or ruled out entirely, Darnell Mooney and rookie Malachi Fields would take on much bigger roles with QB Jameis Winston leading the offense. We will keep a close eye on Nabers' practice status the rest of the week.
Michael Pittman Jr., Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said that wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (foot) will practice on Wednesday, according to Brooke Pryor of ESPN. McCarthy did not say how much Pittman will practice, but it sounds like he will be limited after he was inactive for the team's Week 2 loss to the New England Patriots.
Pittman started last week with a limited practice before missing the final two days of the week. After sitting out last week, the 28-year-old wideout will probably need to upgrade to a full practice on Thursday or Friday.
In his debut with the Steelers in the Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons, Pittman caught all three of his targets for 58 yards. Pittsburgh's offense has not looked great under McCarthy through two weeks, so even if Pittman is cleared to return for a Week 3 divisional tilt against the Cincinnati Bengals, he will be a WR4/flex, at best, in most fantasy football starting lineups this weekend.
Emmett Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said that rookie running back Emmett Johnson will continue to be more involved in the team's offense as the season progresses, per Soren Petro of Sports Radio 810 WHB. Johnson has been extremely efficient on a limited workload through the first two games of his NFL career, recording 103 scrimmage yards on 14 touches.
The Chiefs have leaned heavily on RB1 Kenneth Walker so far, and Walker has recorded 369 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on 56 touches. As long as Walker remains healthy, it may be difficult for Johnson to provide consistent production for fantasy managers. Still, it appears as though the Chiefs are happy with Johnson's progress and could find ways to get him more involved going forward.
Heading into Week 3, Johnson profiles as a high-upside handcuff running back option with some season-long standalone upside.
Joshua Palmer, Buffalo Bills
Two games into the 2026 season, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Joshua Palmer has just two receptions on five targets. However, the 27-year-old has made the most of his opportunities, as his two catches have come in the form of a 34-yard touchdown and a 43-yard touchdown. Given his effectiveness, Palmer may remain limited to a low-volume, downfield role in the Buffalo passing game.
However, the veteran wideout could be in line for more targets and playing time if Bills WR1 DJ Moore (shoulder) is unable to play in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Moore suffered an AC joint sprain during Buffalo's Week 2 win over the Detroit Lions and is currently considered day-to-day.
The Chargers have been susceptible to explosive plays through the air in 2026, allowing six receptions of 20-plus yards and two receptions of 40-plus yards. In deeper league formats, Palmer could be a wide receiver streamer for fantasy managers to consider on the waiver wire.
Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan saw a team-high 10 targets during last week's win over the Atlanta Falcons. McMillan hauled in five of those for 101 yards in the blowout victory. That was a strong game from McMillan, and it might get better for him in Week 3 against the Cleveland Browns. Fellow wideout Jalen Coker (ankle) is currently listed as questionable for Sunday's game.
He was limited in practice on Wednesday with an ankle injury. If Coker gets downgraded, McMillan would be the focal point in the receiving game this weekend. If both are active, McMillan remains a strong WR2 against a shaky Browns defense.
Who Should I Start Tool
You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.
Week 3 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Emmett Johnson, Keenan Allen, Carnell Tate, Malik Nabers, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Tetairoa McMillan, Michael Pittman Jr., Joshua Palmer. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 3.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our 'Who Should I Start?' tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do, is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circle), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 3 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 3 (2026)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 3 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 3 for Emmett Johnson, Keenan Allen, Carnell Tate, Malik Nabers, Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Tetairoa McMillan, Michael Pittman Jr., Joshua Palmer.
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